No decision yet on return of Samoa NPO Director

Samoa's Director of National Prosecution, Mauga Precious Chang, is yet to resume her duties after a court on Monday found her not guilty of three traffic related offences.

Director of Public Prosecution Mauga Precious Chang has been charged with traffic offences. Photo: Tipi Autagavaia

The office said one of the remaining lawyers was carrying out duties of acting director but there was no cabinet directive for the return of Ms Chang and of the suspended assistant director Muriel Lui, who is a senior lawyer and prosecutor.

The Attorney General Lemalu Herman Retzlaff was given powers of the director temporarily in September after a cabinet decision on the suspension of the assistant director.

It followed a cabinet decision to appoint a three-member tribunal to evaluate the performance of Ms Lui and Ms Chang.

A statement from the cabinet at the time said the government had noted the refusal of the two top prosecutors to properly perform powers and duties to uphold the rule of law and objectivity of the criminal justice system.

However the pair have not been informed if the tribunal hearing will be held anytime soon.